Road to Go North: Local beer has this Sault boy's heart

In preparation for the third installment of the annual Go North Music Festival on St. Joseph Island, SooToday reached out to the participating artists to have a little fun getting to know these hard working musicians.

Next up on our Road to Go North series, we meet Sault Ste. Marie's Jesse Merineau.

What are your three favourite things about touring northern Ontario?

• The unique energy of the fans, the amazing food, and the beautiful scenery.

What are the three most important things to pack for festival season?

• Pack snacks, gins, and more gin.

What are your top three road trip listening essentials?

• I have to name four, sorry for breaking the rules!  Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks, Franz Ferdinand, and Still Woozy.

What are your three favourite ways to pass time on a long tour?

• Mobile video games, sleep, posting silly videos of the lads on tour.

What are your three favourite Ontario skinny dipping spots?

• Hmm… Three? Definitely Desbarats, my friend's cottage at Pancake Bay, and I was too drunk to remember the others.

What are your three favourite Ontario craft brews?

• Only Outspoken Brewery has my heart if I’m honest, doesn’t get any better! Although there are some great lads working at Northern Superior

What are your three favourite topics to read about?

• Fun fact - I’ve never read a proper book in my life!

Besides being a musician, what are three skills you'd like to learn?

• I’d say three different languages – French, Spanish, and something else! I promise I’ll never find the time, though.

What are three things you know about St. Joseph Island and/or Sault Ste. Marie?

• I actually grew up visiting St. Joseph island! It’s absolutely beautiful, with an amazing community, and a surprisingly cool night life!

The Go North Music Festival is a one-day event held in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island on July 13.

Headlining the 2019 lineup is the Juno award-winning blues/country artist Crystal Shawanda. Also included on the entertainment roster are Birds of Bellwoods (alt-rock), Sun K (rock), Skye Wallace (folk-rock), Sarah Smith (singer-songwriter), and Another Crush (indie rock), as well as local acts Jesse Merineau (indie pop-rock) and Dustin Jones and The Rising Tide (celtic punk rock).

Other festival highlights include food vendors, locally-crafted beer, and local artisans and producers. In addition to the main stage, there will be activities for kids and a kids stage with performances by the main stage acts (kids 12 and under are admitted to the festival for free).

Overnight camping will again be available for tents and trailers with an additional night of camping available on the Friday night before the festival.

Full festival details and ticket information can be found here.